


Fear

by teej_318



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers, Mike Wheeler is a good friend, PTSD, Protective Mike Wheeler, Sick Will, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler, past trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 12:43:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teej_318/pseuds/teej_318
Summary: When Joyce wakes up in the middle of the night, she knows right away something is wrong with Will. But when Will refuses to go to the hospital even though it's clear he needs to, how can Joyce convince her son to get the medical treatment he needs?





	Fear

Joyce woke with a start. Instinctively, she knew something was wrong. What it was, she had no idea, but somehow she knew that it involved Will. She threw the blanket off her body and stood up from her bed, fumbling around in the darkness. She reached the door and pried it open, hurrying over to Will's room. Just outside Will's bedroom door, she could hear soft whimpering coming from inside. Joyce lightly knocked on the door.

"Will? Honey?" she said, the concern evident in her tone. 

When she got no response other than more whimpering coming from her youngest son, Joyce opened the door and strode inside. In seconds, she was at Will's side. Immediately, it was apparent something was wrong. Will was sweating all over and his face was pale. He was gripping his ribcage as if he were in pain.

"Will! What's going on?"

"It hurts, Mom, it hurts so much!" Will groaned in reply. 

"Sweetie, what is it? What hurts? Tell me!"

Will groaned before he replied.

"It's my side, Mom! It hurts so much. It feels like it's on fire or something!"

Joyce placed a hand on Will's forehead.

"Oh, honey, you're burning up. It might be your appendix," Joyce said in a calm voice so she wouldn't overwhelm Will. "We might have to take you to a hospital to find out for sure."

"No! Please, Mom! Don't send me to a hospital!" Will said. There was fear evident in his eyes and Joyce was taken aback by his request. 

"Sweetie, we'll have to go to a hospital so we know for sure what's going on. It's the only way to make sure you're healthy!"

"No, please!"

"Jonathan!" Joyce called over her shoulder. 

As if he had materialized out of nowhere, Jonathan appeared in the doorway, a bathrobe wrapped around his pajamas. Evidently he had heard Will and Joyce talking to each other. 

"What's going on, Mom? Will?" Jonathan demanded as he walked into the room and stood at Will's bedside. 

"We need to get him to a hospital right away," Joyce said in an urgent tone.

"No, please, Mom!"

"Will, honey, we have to make sure this isn't something serious. You know you can trust me, right?"

Will ignored her and simply stared back, with the fear still crawling through him. Joyce sighed before she spoke again.

"What if I called Mike and told him what's going on? Would that help, honey?"

Immediately, Will's facial expression changed. He looked hopeful, if anything, and he was nodding fervently. Joyce turned to Jonathan.

"Give the Wheelers a call and tell them what's going on, then call Hopper and tell him we need him to take Will to the hospital as quickly as possible."

Joyce said the second part of her request in a low voice so that Will wouldn't hear it. Jonathan nodded at her and left the room as Joyce sat down next to Will.

"I'm sorry that you're hurting, baby, but we'll make sure that everything is okay, yeah?"

Will didn't say anything, but nodded at his mother. 

"How are you feeling, honey?"

"It still hurts, Mom," Will replied, grimacing slightly. "It's like if I move too much it hurts even more. It was bothering me earlier when we were watching the movie, but I thought it would go away if I tried to sleep, but it didn't."

"Have you gotten any sleep at all, Will?"

Will shook his head.

"The pain has been too much. I've been tossing and turning ever since I told you and Jonathan good night."

"Oh, honey, why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to bother you," Will answered as Jonathan walked back into the room. 

"Mike is on his way over and Hopper will be here soon," Jonathan said.

"Thanks, Jonathan," Joyce said, giving her eldest son a quick one-armed hug. 

"How are you feeling, buddy?" Jonathan asked.

Will went to answer, but the pain shot through him again and he just groaned in response.

"Okay, Will, you shouldn't talk too much," Joyce said. "Try not to move and we'll get you some help right away, okay?"

Will closed his eyes as a response and Joyce sighed quietly to herself. She and Jonathan couldn't do much more than wait until Mike or Hopper arrived to help them. Luckily, they only had to wait about 15 minutes before they heard knocking at the front door. Jonathan hurried out of Will's room and returned in just a few seconds with Mike in tow. 

Mike was wearing a hoodie over his pajamas and he had a look of concern etched onto his face.

"Will! What's wrong?" Mike demanded as he knelt down next to Will's bed. 

"It hurts, Mikey, it hurts so much," Will answered in a voice akin to that of a little kid.

Mike touched Will's forehead and nearly withdrew his hand in shock when he felt how warm Will's temperature was. 

"Will! You need to see a doctor. You're burning up. And I can tell you're in a lot of pain."

"No!" Will practically shouted. There was another knock at the front door. Mike whipped his head around and nodded at Joyce and Jonathan, who both left the room to answer the door.

"Hey, listen to me," Mike said as he reached forward and grabbed onto one of Will's hands. Will instinctively curled his fingers around Mike's and held onto Mike's hand as if it were a lifeline. "You can trust me, you know that, right?" Will nodded at him. "Okay. Then you know I'm not lying when I say I'll be by your side the whole time tonight, all right?"

Will nodded again and Mike grinned at him.

"Do you trust me, Will?" he asked.

"Of course, Mikey."

"Good," Mike said, giving Will a smile. "Then you can trust me to go with you to the hospital. We'll get you checked out and I'll be with you the whole way, no matter what happens, all right?"

“Mikey, I’m scared. I hate hospitals. After what happened the last time…”

Will’s voice drifted off as both he and Mike relieved the memories of the lab during Will’s possession by the Mind Flayer. Mike shook his head slightly and gripped Will’s hand tighter.

“It’s not gonna be like that, Will, I promise! Everything is gonna be okay.”

At that, Joyce and Jonathan reappeared in the doorway, accompanied by Hopper, who was dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans. 

"I don’t wanna go alone, Mikey," Will said in a scared voice.

"Don't worry, Willie. I'll be with you the whole time. I promise."

Finally, Will nodded. Mike grinned at him as he squeezed Will's hand again before he turned around and faced the others.

"He's ready," Mike said.

Visible looks of relief spread over Joyce and Jonathan's faces. They hurried into the room with Hopper, who bent down to pick Will up as gently as he could. Hopper carried Will out of his bedroom and out of the house and to his car, which was parked next to Joyce's station wagon. Mike jumped into the car before Hopper placed Will inside and laid Will down so that the upper half of Will's body was resting in Mike's lap. Hopper then hurried into the front seat and started the engine while Joyce and Jonathan got into her car.

As soon as he was situated, Mike grabbed onto Will's hand again and stared at his best friend, smiling slightly to reassure him.

"Hi," Mike said.

"Hi," Will replied in as happy a tone as he could muster considering all the pain he was in.

"I'll be right here the whole time, okay? Even if you need surgery, or something, I'm gonna be here, no matter what."

"Thanks, Mikey," Will said as he closed his eyes, trying to relax as Hopper started to drive the car away from the Byers house. 

* * *

Once they were at the hospital, Mike had to wait in the waiting room with Hopper while Joyce and Jonathan met with the doctor assigned to Will. It seemed like an eternity to Mike, who spent most of the waiting anxiously bouncing his leg up and down and pacing the waiting room, to Hopper's slight annoyance.

"Give it a rest, will ya, kid?" Hopper said after the fifth time of Mike walking around the waiting room.

"Well I'm sorry that I care about my best friend being in the emergency room without knowing why!" Mike snapped.

Hopper's face softened slightly, which was an odd look to Mike.

"I get it, kid, but there's nothing more we can do for him right now, okay? Worrying isn't going to help Will, so you might as well just sit down and try to relax."

"I can't relax," Mike said as he grumpily sat down in his chair.

Hopper was spared having to respond by the reappearance of Joyce and Jonathan. Mike leapt to his feet, eager to hear some news of what had happened.

"He's gonna be okay," Joyce said in a gentle tone. "It is something with his appendix, so they're going to have to remove it, but other than that, he'll be okay."

"Oh thank goodness," Mike said, letting out the breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"Mike, thank you so much for coming as quickly as you did. If it weren't for you, I don't think he would've come to the hospital and we could've had something much more serious on our hands."

"You don't have to thank me, Mrs. Byers," Mike said, waving his hand slightly. "Anything to make sure that he's okay." 

"He wants to see you before they take him upstairs for surgery. I hope it's not too much trouble..."

"Of course not," Mike said, cutting off Joyce. "I'll go see him right now. And I'm not going anywhere until I know he's 100 percent okay, and even then, I probably won't leave unless my Mom drags me out of here."

Jonathan chuckled weakly while Joyce let out her first laugh since she woke up in a frenzy. She pulled Mike into a hug and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"You really are the best, Mike Wheeler," she said.

"I appreciate that, but I think Will is the best," Mike replied, giving Joyce a smile before he broke the hug. "What room is he in?"

"Room 303, it's just down the hallway," Joyce replied, pointing down the hall.

Mike nodded at her and walked over to the hallway. He was about halfway through it when he saw room 303 and walked inside. Will was lying on a bed, not connected to any machines, but looking scared out of his wits nonetheless. When Will heard Mike approaching him, Will's face lit up.

"Mikey!" Will exclaimed before he winced and grabbed his side.

"Don't get too excited, Willie," Mike said gently as he sat down next to Will's bed and grabbed his hand again. "That'll just make you hurt more. Are you okay?"

"I would be if I wasn't here," Will replied.

"I know you're scared, Willie, but you can trust the doctors working here just like you trust me, okay?"

"Please don't leave me," Will begged.

Mike squeezed Will's hand.

"I won't. I'll be right here when you wake up from your surgery, okay? I promise."

"Thank you, Mikey," Will said as his face relaxed. 

Mike smiled at him.

"I don't care if it takes all night, Will. I'll be right here when you wake up. I'm not going anywhere."

Will nodded.

"Are you ready to go in for your surgery, Will? It's better if we get it taken care of now so you can start feeling better right away."

"Okay, Mikey," Will said in a weak voice.

"I'll go and tell your Mom. And I'll be right here when you wake up, okay?"

Will nodded again.

* * *

Mike perked up when he saw Will stirring in his sleep. Within seconds, Will opened his eyes and looked immediately to his left, where Joyce and Jonathan were sitting next to his bed.

"Hey, baby," Joyce whispered in a relieved tone. "It's all over, Will. They took out your appendix and you're gonna be okay!"

"Yeah, buddy," added Jonathan. "You did great in your surgery."

Will smiled at the both of them.

"I'm glad I'm gonna be okay," he said before he frowned. "Where's Mike?"

Mike sat up in the chair he had been sitting in, unwilling to fall asleep as he waited for Will to wake up.

"I'm here, Will. Just like I said I would be."

Will's face lit up as he saw Mike and Mike smiled back at him.

"Hey," Mike said in a weak voice, the tears starting to swim in his eyes.

"Hi Mikey," Will replied. "Thanks for being here."

"I did promise you, Will," Mike replied with a sheepish grin. "I'm really glad to see you awake. How do you feel?"

"A little sore," Will replied. "But better than I did when I was trying to fall asleep last night. How long have I been asleep?"

"They performed the surgery on you pretty quickly and you've been sleeping ever since," Joyce explained. "It's morning now, honey. The doctors say you'll need to stay for a day or two, but then you should be able to go home."

"And I'm gonna stay here the whole time," Mike said. "If...if that's what you want."

Will's smile grew.

"I'd love that, Mikey," he said.

"Your other friends are here, too," said Jonathan. "Do you think you'd be up for visitors?"

"Um, yeah, but can I just talk to Mike first?" Will asked.

"Of course, honey, anything you'd like," Joyce said as she bent down and gave Will a kiss on the forehead. "We'll go let them know you're awake and you and Mike can talk as long as you want, okay?"

Will nodded at his mother as she and Jonathan left the room. Mike slowly walked over to the chair Joyce had been sitting in and sat down in it, reaching over and grabbing Will's hand again.

"How are you?" Mike asked.

"I'm gonna be fine, Mikey. Thanks to you. Thank you for coming right away."

"Will, you know you don't have to thank me," Mike said hurriedly. "I'll always be there when you need me."

"I just feel bad that you haven't gotten much sleep because of me," Will said, looking away in shame.

"Hey," Mike said gently as he squeezed Will's hand again. Will looked at him with tears swimming in his eyes. "You don't have to worry about me, okay? I promise you, you're not a burden, Will. You're my best friend. I came because I wanted to, Will. And I'm not leaving unless you ask me to, because that's what friends do, Will, especially best friends."

At this, Mike leaned over Will's bedside and gave him a kiss on the forehead. As he pulled away, Mike was blushing profusely but Will was smiling at him with tears in his eyes, but they were happy tears.

"I love you, Mikey," Will said as he squeezed Mike's hand.

"I love you, too, Willie."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot!
> 
> Full disclosure: I wrote it while under the influence of quite a bit of vodka mixed with cherry flavored 7-Up, so it if sucks, blame the alcohol lmao. 
> 
> I got the idea for this one-shot based on a Tumblr post from trashcatvevo, so thanks to them for giving me the idea by writing a post about Will being afraid to go to a hospital and Mike convincing him that he needs to.
> 
> I've still got plenty of ideas brewing in my mind for my long form Byeler story that will feature several other ships as well. I've even met with my illustrator sister and we came up with a bunch of ideas for the cover, which I think you'll enjoy. Follow me on Tumblr to find out more information when I announce the project in the coming weeks!
> 
> Come yell at/follow me on Tumblr: [@wackywriterwhowriteswhenever](http://wackywriterwhowriteswhenever.tumblr.com)
> 
> You can also follow me [on Twitter](http://twitter.com/_tj_rigg) but just know that I'm super political on there, so don't follow me if you don't like politics.


End file.
